afloat
adjective or adverb
1
a
: borne on or as if on the water
b
: being at sea
2
: free of difficulties : self-sufficient
the inheritance kept them afloat for years
3
a
: circulating about
Silly rumors were afloat.
b
: adrift
Examples of afloat in a Sentence
the boat can't stay afloat much longer
Recent Examples on the Web
Like many independent restaurants, Jon’s navigated a shifting culinary landscape in recent years, from pandemic disruptions to rising costs, all while making incremental changes to stay afloat, including adding beer and wine and participating in the Dana Point Harbor Certified Farmers Market.
—
Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 2 May 2026
Regulation should be precise enough to target exploitation without eliminating survival tools for homeowners trying to stay afloat.
—Jamie Smarr, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
In the meantime, many farmers rely on synthetic herbicides to stay afloat, Wilken said.
—Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
This is a good quarterback room that should be able to keep the ship afloat if Prescott misses a small amount of time.
—Jon MacHota, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
But in a statement, OCPS said the increases are the only way to stay afloat.
—Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026
The acquisition is a boon for the small startup, which has subsisted on $60 million over the last five years and previously struggled to stay afloat.
—Elaine Chen, STAT, 24 Apr. 2026
At the same time, the hybrid vehicle market is staying afloat.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026
After six brutal years of struggling to stay afloat, movie theater owners and operators arrived in Las Vegas for CinemaCon finally liking their odds of survival.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 2 May 2026
Regulation should be precise enough to target exploitation without eliminating survival tools for homeowners trying to stay afloat.
—Jamie Smarr, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
In the meantime, many farmers rely on synthetic herbicides to stay afloat, Wilken said.
—Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
This is a good quarterback room that should be able to keep the ship afloat if Prescott misses a small amount of time.
—Jon MacHota, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
But in a statement, OCPS said the increases are the only way to stay afloat.
—Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026
The acquisition is a boon for the small startup, which has subsisted on $60 million over the last five years and previously struggled to stay afloat.
—Elaine Chen, STAT, 24 Apr. 2026
At the same time, the hybrid vehicle market is staying afloat.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026
After six brutal years of struggling to stay afloat, movie theater owners and operators arrived in Las Vegas for CinemaCon finally liking their odds of survival.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Afloat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/afloat. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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